TEMPER, TEMPER (THE LEIA-PAYS-HAN-BACK-STORY)
by Corellian Maid
Summary: After witnessing han Solo lose his temper...Leia bets him he can't keep from losing his temper for twenty-four standard hours. Who wins the bet?


A low grunt escaped Han Solo's lips as he exerted more pressure on the handle of a long claw-wrench which was fitted around a seemingly immovable harness bolt. The tool slipped off the stubborn fitting with a metallic clang and, with Han's strength behind it, just barely missed his forehead. The Corellian's favorite and much-practiced expressions of anger and disgust spilled out of his mouth as he once again grabbed the tool with both hands and scooted closer to the offending bolt; it was cramped and uncomfortable, but somebody had to make maintenance inspections when they were needed, and Chewbacca was even less able than his Captain to work in such a tight spot. Taking a deep breath, Han once more settled the wrench around the bolt.

Chewbacca, oblivious to Han's discomfort beneath the ship, had deftly maneuvered his large, hairy hands around the maze of connection cables in the FALCON'S main power box. Just one last hook-up and there would be light in the cockpit again - he hoped. The Wookiee closely inspected the wires he held, not quite certain what would happen when he joined them. He was a more than competent repair being, but Han had rewired these systems so many times…upgrading the output to certain 'modifications' or just plain jury-rigging in emergencies - that Chewbacca had been quite unable to keep up with all the changes, and was now unsure of what precisely went where. If he was correct in his assumptions, they would restore power; if he was wrong, there would be yet another failure somewhere else in the ship.

Shrugging his massive shoulders in a 'let's see' attitude, the Wookiee finally threw caution to the wind and joined the wires….nothing happened.

At least. It SEEMED that nothing had happened. The power did not return to the cockpit lighting systems, but neither was there another obvious blow-out. But he HADN'T counted on a ground out.

Conducted by some system of which Chewie had been unaware, the new circuit sent power out to the FALCON'S hull, in search of an outlet, a path to ground. It quickly found one - in the tool surrounding

the harness bolts and to the marvelously conductive flesh holding it.

Electricity gripped the smuggler's hands; he instantly jerked free of the charged wrench with a loud yelp of pain and surprise. Regaining his wits, Han grabbed the now dis-charged tool and scrambled out from under the freighter. Catching a glimpse through the cockpit window, he saw Chewbacca still peering down at the wires in his hands, Han gave full vent to his anger.

"CHEWIE!" You simple minded son of a simian shat! What're you tryin' to do, KILL me? I TOLD you to wait with that until I'd finished checking that vent under the FALCON!" In his anger, pain and frustration, The Corellian flung the almost meter-long wrench out onto the floor of the docking bay. It slid

noisily across the cool, markreet stone and very nearly over the feet of Princess Leia Organa herself.

"Hey!" She squalked, turning in the direction from which the 'attack' had come. She saw Solo pacing beside his ship, rubbing his hands. As she neared, she could hear Han's choice vocabulary getting a rousing workout. "What's wrong?" She demanded, becoming a bit angry herself. "I come out here looking for Luke, and you nearly knock me over with that wrench!"

"That…that…Wookiee nearly fried me!" Han spat. "He knew I was working under the ship, and he grounded out the power box..and guess who was the ground!"" He held out his still tingling red palms for her to see.

Leia studied them. "There aren't any burns." She confirmed. "I'm sure Chewbacca didn't intend to hurt you."

She looked up at the Wookiee, who was shaking his shaggy head most emphatically. He KNEW his friend didn't mean what he was saying and that the outburst would cease as quickly as it had begun.

"It's alright, Princess." Han told her.

Leia, however, was not so forgiving. "NO, it's not alright. There's no reason for you to lose your temper and throw things!" She admonished Han. "How do you expect us to keep up morale and camaraderie if you're always blowing up over every little thing? You're a grown man, Solo. Surely, there are other ways for you to express displeasure - something more constructive than throwing a childish tantrum!"

Han blinked at the profusion of words that came from the woman. "You've been spending too much time with that gold-plated imitation of a human being." Han told her. "You're beginning to sound just like him; pompous."

She ignored the jibe. "You shouldn't have spoken to Chewbacca like that." She insisted.

Han look up at his sullen partner, who was finishing his job on the power box, obviously trying to stay clear of the entire argument. He knew Han would apologize later; he was secure enough in their relationship to know that his partner/friend had understood his outburst and had not taken his harsh words to heart. The Princess however…

"How are your hands?" Leia asked, suddenly, solicitously, changing the subject.

Han flexed his fingers freely. "They don't hurt anymore."

"How about something to drink, then. The commissary's still open." She was obviously coaxing, for no reason could he see-especially considering the lecture she had just given him.. but he was not one to argue on those rare occasions when she deigned to treat him pleasantly.

"All right." He agreed

The makeshift commissary was nearly empty. There were only a few orange-suited rebel pilots there, lingering over their cups and conversations.

"It's good for you and Chewbacca to get away from one another once in a while." Leia told Han as they filled their mugs and moved through the shadowy room to a table. "In close quarters, tempers can be short even between the most patient people."

Han made no issue of her inference; he was just the opposite. "Chewie knows I don't mean it." He replied, sipping at the steaming liquid in his cup. It was hot…..too hot! It burned his mouth and tongue; he reacted with a few scalding profanities of his own. "Sham!" That stuff's hotter'n the Blue Flames of Nehra's four hells!"

"Han!" Leia wasn't particularly embarrassed, but she was acutely aware of the attention he had drawn toward them. Several rebels at one table turned in their direction. Upon seeing who was responsible for the ruckus, one nudged the fellow beside him; a moment later, they all laughed, then quietly returned to their talk.

"See?" The Princess began. "You always lose your temper and spout some of the worst language ever heard!"

"I don't ALWAYS lose my temper." " Han defended himself. "I'm just…outspoken."

"Ha. You couldn't go one standard day without losing it. It's second nature to you."

Han's hazel eye narrowed mischievously. "You wanna make that a bet? I'll take you up on it if the stakes are high enough."

She thought for a moment. She wasn't going to be outsmarted by this cocky, self-assured, free-lance pilot, by not accepting the challenge.

"All right." Leia agreed, leaning back in her chair. Striking a pensive pose, she drew a slim finger across her chin in thought. She took a sip from her mug, breathed deeply, and cleared her throat before speaking. "If you can keep from losing your temper until this time tomorrow evening, I'll see to it that your ship is completely reworked, repaired and updated with any new equipment you want…free of charge.

Han arched his brows in surprise at the generosity of her offer. Tempting as it was, there was only one thing he liked better than the idea of refurbishing the FALCON…and Leia had unwittingly placed herself in the position of giving it to him…..if she was SERIOUS about making the bet.

"That's a very tempting offer, your Regalness." He admitted, leaning his arm on the table and smiling "But, since the bet involves something I have to do PERSONALLY," he pointed to his chest, " how about making the stakes something I'd benefit from personally if I can pull it off?"

She considered it for a moment, wary of the unnerving look in the pirate's eyes. "You have something else in mind?" She questioned.

He straightened in his chair and waited until a couple of exiting rebels had passed their table before speaking. "An entire evening with you….alone."

The Princess' eyes widened; she protested immediately. "That's out of the question!" She was angry with herself for letting this trivial matter get so out of hand. "I couldn't possibly…."

Han leaned back in his chair, his head up. "Why not" after all, if you're so convince that I can't keep from losing my temper for one day, you've got nothing to worry about…right?"

She fidgeted uneasily. Finally she surrendered. "All right. I'll take you up on that. You keep from getting angry until this time tomorrow and I'll spend tomorrow night with you…alone."

Han smiled. He'd won and lost many, many bets in his adventurous life, but never one with so sweet an ante.

Dawn came quickly the next morning. Han was still in his bunk in his quarters on the base, pondering the next hours and his collection of a well-deserved reward, when he was interrupted.

"Captain Solo…Captain Solo…" The muffled summons was accompanied by a sharp rap on the door.

"Yeah." He rose from the bunk, wrapping a lightweight blanket around himself. He opened the door…

and there stood C3PO with a bundle of clean clothes.

"Princess Leia asked me to deliver these promptly, as you had a busy day ahead of you.."

Han smiled. So….Leia was up and ready to cover his every waking moment, just waiting for him to slip. He took the clothes with a nodded thanks.

He dressed quickly, but carefully, making sure there were no hidden tricks in his clothes. The long walk down the corridor to the mess hall was uneventful…..until…he turned a corner.

A maintenance worker was cleaning the floor and had left a bucket of hot, soapy water just around the turn, precisely where someone rounding the corner would collide with it. Han did just that…tripping over it soundly. Suds and water splashing over his freshly-cleaned pants as he struggled to regain his footing. "Why don't you watch where…" He stopped himself in mid-sentence as Leia turned the corner behind him. The Corellian smiled sheepishly.

"Having trouble?" She asked with exaggerated sweetness.

"No…." Han slapped the suds off his slacks. "No trouble." He assured her.

"Good." She answered and continued on down the hall.

The smuggler grimaced and began mumbling to himself as he resumed his walk to the commissary. This 'new' Han Solo would definitely take a little more conscious effort.

"Hey, Solo!" Wedge Antilles called once he had reached the mess. "Luke wants you to meet him in the docking bay when you're finished here."

He was being quite friendly…Han had no reason to suspect him, so he thanked Wedge for the message and went to eat his breakfast alone. He was keenly away, however, that Leia was watching him from where she sat with several female officers, just a few tables away.

When he was finished, he looked up at the military clock on the wall. Then, with a sly smile, and a wink, he flashed eight fingers at the Princess, signifying the number of hours left to go before the end of their wager.

As Han took his tray to the clean-up area, Leia turned her head quickly, not wanting him to see the undignified blush that crept across her cheeks.

"Hey, Luke…did you want to see me about something?" Han approached the young Jedi, who was sitting on a large cargo crate near the FALCON.

"Sure did." The guys in Supply want you to check out this shipment as soon as possible. They couldn't get what you'd asked for, so they wanted to know if this would substitute." He nodded at the crate, rising.

Together, the two men pried the top and a side open. They scarcely had it open when Han shook his head. "There's no way I can use this on the FALCON." He sighed. "They'll just have to send it back and get the one I requested."

Luke held out the reject slip for Han to sign. "That'll take about a standard month." He pointed out.

"A month!" Han yelled. "I can't wait a month. I've got to have that part right now…I can't keep my ship down for that long. What if the base is hit by Imperials? I wouldn't be able to get her off this dust ball and I sure as…."

He stopped mid-sentence, nearly choking on the rest of the unspoken words as he spied Leia strolling out onto the bay's crosswalk, a devious smile on her pretty face. Han smelled a set-up…he continued as if the conversation had never been interrupted…..of course it will be alright. What's a month's wait to get a part you need? Tell them that'll be just fine - so long as they get the right one next time." He gritted his teeth in an effort to quell his rising annoyance. Leave it to her Worship to fight dirty.

Luke was confused by Han's abrupt change of behavior, until he saw Leia approaching them.

"That was close, Han." She said, passing them on her way across the bay.

When she was gone, Luke grinned. "You almost blew it then, Han."

"Almost.." Han looked at Luke…you know about the bet?"

"Leia told me. There's a lot of interest. Some of the guys are even taking side-bets."

"Side-bets?!" Han could hardly believe something so private had become so public….but then, 'In whose favor?"

Luke laughed…."Leia's."

"You mean nobody around here believes I can keep from losing my temper for a day?"

"Not at the rate you're going now." Luke had to admit with a playful slap on Han's shoulder.

Han wisely bit his tongue to keep from saying more.

Just then, Chewbacca ambled out of the FALCON carrying a small box of docu-tapes he was taking back to the base's media room. Han saw his shaggy friend and remembered some unfinished business he needed to clear up between them.

"I'll turn this slip over to the Requisitions Officer for you." Luke offered as he headed out of the area. Han let him go with a brief nod of thanks; then headed after his partner, stopping him.

"Uh…Chewie." He began, avoiding the Wookiee's questioning gaze as he spoke. "About yesterday….I didn't mean any of those things I said." I'm sorry, pal."

Chewie barked a reply and gave Han's arm a reassuring shake.

"I know I didn't HAVE to apologize." Han replied. "But, just knowing I didn't have to made me WANT to." It was well-meant and Chewbacca let it go at that.

"Did you hear what Luke said?" Han asked as they headed for the media room. The Wookiee nodded his head. "Some of the people on base are betting against my being able to keep from losing my temper for a standard day." Chewbacca nodded acknowledgment and barked a comment.

Han's eyes brightened and a wide smile crossed his lips. "You made a bet too? Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy."

The Wookiee barked another short comment…one Han couldn't believe and the smile dropped from his face. "You bet AGAINST me?! Aw..Chewie!"

Chewbacca laughed, he knew his partner, then sauntered into the media room…leaving a gaping Solo alone in the hallway.

"Just two more hours." Han muttered to himself with a sigh. He had kept himself busy and away from anyone or anything that might upset or make him angry. Soon, he would have completed an almost impossible - for him at any rate - feat. He decided to search for Leia and begin to make plans for the evening.

That was his mistake.

He found her in the rec-center. Luke and Chewbacca were engaged in an intense game of Das-el as Threepio watched and gave clues from the side. Confident, the Corellian slipped beside Leia, who was mixing herself a mineral shake at the beverage bar.

"Well, your Highness - looks like I've kept my temper, doesn't it?

Leia sipped at the sweet/sour orange liquid. "You sure have." She agreed…."so far. There's still an hour to go."

"What could happened in that short a time? Besides, I've learned how to handle things that come up unexpectedly without flying off the handle." He smiled cockily as he reached for a bottle of ale.

For a while, nothing happened. They enjoyed their drinks and watched Luke and Chewbacca finish their game. When it was over. Han approached the Princess again, where she had moved to a stool at the beverage counter.

"Have you made any plans for this evening?" Han asked her.

"I'm glad you brought that up." She began, swiveling around to face him. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait to collect your bet. Something important came up. I have to leave in an hour, on a diplomatic trip. I'll be gone at least a week."

Luke and Chewie joined them at the counter. "What's wrong, Han?' Luke asked. "You look kinda sick."

Han gestured for Luke to be quiet. "Wait a minute!" He said turning on Leia. "Let me get this straight, you mean I've been trying to act like a saint all day long for nothing?" His face reddened with anger and frustration, feelings he had been keeping bottled up all through this very miserable day. "You knew all along you'd be going on that trip?"

"Of course." She answered coolly. "All's fair in love and war-and bets."

"Why, you conniving little…." Han abandoned his attempts to control to anger he'd repressed all day.

"That's why you agreed to the bet? You knew you weren't going to pay off anyway?"

Leia and the others watched as Han revered to his 'normal' self right before their eyes and began muttering his best curses. "When I make a wager, I expect it to be honored."

"I whole-heartedly agree." She answered smoothly. "I do believe a bet should be paid when it's WON….but, Han." She patted his arm. "You just lost."

"That's right." Luke pointed out, a bit mournfully with more amusement. "There's still forty-five minutes left to go on the bet….and you just lost your temper."

"Lost it!" He raged. "Was cheated out of it you mean…."

The Princess casually slipped from the stool and headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Han demanded. He wasn't quite finished arguing his case.

"I have some bets to collect." She replied with a wink. That only caused Han to fume and curse even more than before.

Chewbacca shook his shaggy mane, making comments about the 'sore loser' sputterings of his friend. He admitted that Han had a right to get a little angry…it hadn't been quite a fair bet, after all - and he was sure that the Corellian would see the joke in it by morning, or by the time the Princess returned. In the meantime, however, he needed a bit of calming down. As the others watched, the Wookiee grasped a pitcher of ice water from the bar and proceeded to pour every last drop of it over Han's head.

Breathless from the sting of the cold, Han fell silent immediately. Luke laughed at Leia's last comment as she went out the door.

"I KNEW there had to be at least ONE sure way to cool off a Corellian."


End file.
